I have just received the report from the US Air Force Hurricane Hunter  aircraft’s latest flight into Hurricane Irma.  That report appears below.  

The BAD  NEWS: Irma has strengthened back into a Category 5 Hurricane with SUSTAINED WINDS of 166 MPH, stronger gusts.  

The storm continues to STRENGTHEN!

Product: Air Force Vortex Message (URNT12 KNHC)
Transmitted: 9th day of the month at 0:10Z
Agency: United States Air Force
Aircraft: Lockheed WC-130J Hercules with reg. number AF98-5308
Storm Number & Year: 11 in 2017
Storm Name: Irma (flight in the North Atlantic basin)
Mission Number: 24
Observation Number: 07
A. Time of Center Fix: 8th day of the month at 23:52:10Z
B. Center Fix Coordinates: 22°08’N 77°12’W (22.1333N 77.2W)
B. Center Fix Location: 68 statute miles (110 km) to the NE (41°) from Camagüey, Cuba.
C. Minimum Height at Standard Level: 2,440m (8,005ft) at 700mb
D. Estimated (by SFMR or visually) Maximum Surface Wind Inbound: 145kts (~ 166.9mph)
E. Location of the Estimated Maximum Surface Wind Inbound: 19 nautical miles (22 statute miles) to the NNW (343°) of center fix
F. Maximum Flight Level Wind Inbound: From 79° at 154kts (From between the ENE and E at ~ 177.2mph)
G. Location of Maximum Flight Level Wind Inbound: 21 nautical miles (24 statute miles) to the NNW (343°) of center fix
H. Minimum Sea Level Pressure: 925mb (27.32 inHg)
I. Maximum Flight Level Temp & Pressure Altitude Outside Eye: 10°C (50°F) at a pressure alt. of 3,037m (9,964ft)
J. Maximum Flight Level Temp & Pressure Altitude Inside Eye: 19°C (66°F) at a pressure alt. of 3,051m (10,010ft)
K. Dewpoint Temp (collected at same location as temp inside eye): 16°C (61°F)
K. Sea Surface Temp (collected at same location as temp inside eye): Not Available
L. Eye Character: Closed
M. Eye Shape & Diameter: Circular with a diameter of 35 nautical miles (40 statute miles)
N. Fix Determined By: Penetration, Radar, Wind, Pressure and Temperature
N. Fix Level: 700mb
O. Navigational Fix Accuracy: 0.02 nautical miles
O. Meteorological Accuracy: 1 nautical mile

Remarks Section:
Maximum Flight Level Wind: 154kts (~ 177.2mph) which was observed 21 nautical miles (24 statute miles) to the NNW (343°) from the flight level center at 23:45:30Z
Dropsonde Surface Wind at Center: From 190° at 9kts (From the S at 10mph)

FLORIDA EVAC HOTLINE: If you are in an evacuation zone and are unable to leave for whatever reason call FL Evac Helpline:

1-800-342-3557

“This is the painful story of how I lost my father during Katrina…And it was not the storm’s enormous force that killed him… nor the massive floods that followed… and not even the lack of food, water or shelter…”

Hurricane IRMA Prep Mega-Thread 

With the possibility that IRMA will hit land next weekend, I thought it would be a great idea to start a mega thread where we can post information, links, resources and other stuff to help the inevitable surge of people from the rest of Reddit that will inundate our sub as the hurricane approaches. Ideas on the types of info to post:

• WATER STORAGE
• EMERGENCY ELECTRICITY (KEEP REFRIGERATOR COLD + SOME LIGHTS)
• DIY Home Energy System–Learn how to produce off-grid power-How to Slash Your Power Bill by up to 75% (or more) in less than 30 days – Guaranteed!.Watch this FREE video
• GASOLINE STORAGE/TRANSPORT
• EMERGENCY FOOD
• GUNS & AMMUNITION
• Links to storm info
• Links to shops that cater to the prepared in the area
• Bug in supplies and plans
• Bug out supplies and plans
• Links to prepper communities in the area
• Links to national, state and local government agencies that are offering preparedness and/or disaster relief
• Links to specific threads, comments or other content already in /r/Preppers that may help people get acquainted to what prepping is.
• Everything I’ve forgotten or omitted that is pertinent to preparing for and dealing with a hurricane.

With the recent alarming events we’re seeing a lot of interest in becoming prepared. If you’re new here and worried, please first take a deep breath. Things are most likely not immediately dire. The chances of your worst nightmares happening soon are still very, very small. Take a few more deep breaths. Becoming prepared is much more like running a marathon than a sprint.

PREPARE TO “BUG OUT” IN ONE AFTERNOON

You don’t need to make a Bug Out Bag. Bugging out when you don’t have somewhere to go is a very, very bad idea. In almost all situations that I prepare for having to bug out will be a worst-case, final option. If you are going to bug out you have to have a destination in mind. There is nothing wrong with making a Bug Out Bag if thats what you really want. If it is an exercise that gives you peace of mind so you can rationally think about the other preparations you should be making then it is worth every penny.

The rule of 3’s is often mentioned in preparedness:

• You can survive 3 minutes without air.
• You can survive 3 hours without shelter.
• You can survive 3 days without water.
• You can survive 3 weeks without food.
• You can survive 3 months without security.

There are four top level items that you seriously need to consider when getting started: food, water, shelter and security. There are many sub-items. You’re going to want to create lists. Write each of the four items at the top of a blank page. Then start writing down what you think you need to survive in adverse conditions for a specified duration. Over time you will revise your lists and break items out onto their own pages. The exercise in creating the lists is important because we all have different concerns and needs. What is an absolute requirement for me may not even be something you would consider. There are a lot of resources on the internet to help you discover items for your lists.

Don’t worry about having lots of food when you first start out. The average American family has less than a weeks worth of food in their home. I highly recommend working towards having two weeks as a first goal. Look at what you already have and use. Determine what stores the best and start buying a little more of it each time you go to the store. Eat the oldest food so you rotate your stocks. I have over three months of food in my house by only using this method. This is one of the easiest things you can do to become more prepared today.

You need two gallons of water per person per day. This is actually higher than is strictly necessary but you will be very unhappy if you ever have to restrict yourself to this amount. I store enough water for everyone in my household for a bit more than two weeks. Get a WaterBOB because it is so inexpensive and easy. Once you have those basic levels you then have to have a means to filter more water for your use. I highly recommend getting at least two Sawyer Squeeze and consider getting something like a Big Berkey. Find a way of collecting rainwater if you can. If you live in a desert, unfortunately you’re going to have to find a way to store a lot of water.

Most of us have quite good shelter already available to us. If you live in a cold climate you have to be concerned about winter and freezing temperatures if you don’t have a fireplace and wood available. If things ever really became bad I would setup a tent inside of my house and burn candles inside of the tent. For most of the continental United States that would keep the temperature inside of the tent above freezing. If you combine that with a zero degree or better sleeping bag you will survive much better than just about anyone around you. It’s much easier to achieve this level of heating independence than finding a way of powering your generator for weeks. A little known fact is that most generators recommend changing their oil every 40 hours of use. Storing fuel to keep a generator working is daunting but the oil require
ments are almost always forgotten.

Hopefully none of us will ever need to worry about personal security. Learn how to use and maintain firearms in a safe manner if you can. I highly recommend Appleseed to everyone in the US. This area is often over prepared for most preppers. Try to strive for balance with your food, water and shelter.

In some of the above items I recommended getting more than one if they were not too expensive. If you ever have a desperate need for something to work one of the easiest ways to ensure success is to have backups. A common saying is that 2 is 1 and 1 is none. This might also mean that you could make one that works out of two broken items.

There is one final preparation that you should start working on now: yourself! Get in shape because you’re going to have trouble saving yourself if you’re out-of-shape to the point that walking a few miles in a few hours would be a serious challenge. Now is the time to start. Most preppers have awesome bug out bags that they couldn’t carry for a mile. Don’t be that person!

Take some more deep breaths. There are a lot of us here who want to help you become better prepared. You’re not alone. Someone has done all of this before. It also isn’t as expensive as you may fear. We’re here to help — feel free to ask questions!

Source:HALTurner Radio Show